PHOTO - APSU Athletics
After leading the Austin Peay football program to its most successful season ever in 2019, Mark Hudspeth suddenly announced Saturday that he was stepping away from the program, effective immediately. In a release from Austin Peay on Friday, Hudspeth cited family matters as the reason for his announcement. He did go on to add that he would likely return to coaching in the future when the time was right for him to do so.
Austin Peay State University Director of Athletics Gerald Harrison thanked Hudspeth for his work in moving “Governors football to new heights.”
In his only season as the head football coach at Austin Peay, Hudspeth led the Governors to a program-record 11 wins, its second Ohio Valley Conference championship and its first-ever postseason appearance. The Governors advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championships’ quarterfinal round with victories against Furman and Sacramento State.
For his efforts, Hudspeth was named the OVC’s Coach of the Year.
The release from APSU says that the university will retain the remainder of the Austin Peay football coaching staff, which will lead the program while Harrison and his staff determine the next steps forward. Austin Peay’s football team is scheduled to begin organized team practices on July 31.
(— APSU Athletics)
